


A Spark By The River

by Rianna_McIntosh



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-03-30 02:46:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19033180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rianna_McIntosh/pseuds/Rianna_McIntosh
Summary: River McConnell has seen families ripped apart in court. She's seen the horror of how death can change people. Never in two hundred years would she expect to be in the same situation many of her clients were put through. Her world has changed. No longer do the morals and laws of the old world dictate the land. She'll find her son, whatever it takes, even if it means raising hell in the Commonwealth... especially for one synth detective. Nick Valentine.





	1. A Promise

"War... War never changes."

River watched from the side as her husband practiced his speech. It had to be absolutely perfect. He changed the tone of his voice in some parts to see what worked with a particular word and what didn't work. He even tried getting rid of his faint Irish accent to sound more American. River rolled her eyes, tired of him complaining to himself, and gently placed her hands on the sides of Jack's shoulders while she rested her head on top of his shoulder.

"You're going to do great at the Veterans Hall tonight, hun." River tried to reassure him with a smile.

Jack turned his head slightly towards River. "You don't think the last part is too much?"

River chuckled, kissing her partner's cheek. "It's perfect. Stop worrying."

Jack smiled before he combed his hair, letting his short fringe fall in front of his face. "What do you think? Handsomely roguish or..." He spun around and flashed a flirtatious smirk at River, pointing his fingers in an attempt to look 'cool'. "Roguishly handsome?"

River rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "I think... none." 

Jack frowned. "That's cold."

River laughed loudly. "I'm joking!" She then put her hand on her chin, pretending to think. "I think... Roguishly handsome."

"You know me so well." Jack said with a smirk.

River smiled before giving him a small push. "Now stop hogging the mirror. You're not the only one who needs to do their makeup."

Jack put a finger on his lips. "Keep your voice down!” He looked around as if there were eyes inside the walls, watching and listening in for any dirty secrets he may reveal. After a brief look, he turned to his wife, seeing the unimpressed look on her face. “Can't have the commies know my beauty secrets."

River tried to hide a laugh before she playfully pushed Jack once more. "Get out of here. The room's steamy enough without you in it."

Jack winked at her before he walked out of the bathroom, leaving River to put on her makeup.

River applied some dark red lipstick, a little blusher, and some eyeliner. Nothing too fancy. She would put more on later when she would have to get ready to go to the Veterans Hall. 

River was so proud of him. Often she would worry about Jack. How could she not? It was dangerous being in the army. Every day he would risk his life fighting all of those Communists. That was the reason why River was so glad when Jack had told her that he had decided to retire from his job in the military to be a stay-at-home dad. He wanted to be there for Shaun. Jack and River had also decided that since he wouldn't have a job anymore and the fact that they needed a steady income, River could get back into law. She couldn't wait to start her job again. Law was something she loved doing. That degree on the living room shelf had to be worth something other than a ticket to bragging rights. River had quit her job shortly after she became pregnant, but she would be more than glad to be back. 

River walked into the living room, seeing Jack leaning against the kitchen counter, the morning newspaper in his hand. Jack looked up and smiled.

"Hello, beautiful."

River walked over and pecked his lips, careful not to smudge her lipstick. She would rather not waste time re-applying it. She then saw something on the table behind Jack. Reaching an arm out, she picked up a small packet of cigarettes. 

"Wonder who these belong to."

Jack glanced up from the paper briefly to look at the packet. "Oh yeah, they’re Ben’s."

River rolled her eyes and put them back down. 

"I'm serious." Jack chuckled. "I quit when I found out you were pregnant, remember? He left them when he came for dinner."

“If you say so.”

River grabbed the mug on the table full of coffee and looked towards the hovering Mr. Handy who cheerfully announced his making of the coffee. She smiled, appreciative. 

A cry began to sound. River immediately turned around only to see Codsworth quickly pass by. “Sounds like someone’s made a stinky! I shall attend to young Shaun.”

Jack put a hand around River’s waist gently, watching Codsworth leave. “I know we were nervous at first, but I’m glad we got Codsworth.”

Codsworth was more like a family member now. 'The crazy foreign uncle' River thought with a small, quiet chuckle, thinking of the British stereotypes people made fun of so much.

Suddenly a knock was heard from the front door. Jack peeked out of the window and groaned.

"It's that salesman again. I don't know why he keeps bothering us..."

"We have to answer some day, you know." River said then walked up to the door, opening it then greeted the cheerful man in front of her.

 

River closed the door as she watched the stranger from Vault-Tec head over to another house a little bit down the street. She let out a small sigh before she felt a chin gently place itself on top of her head.

“I still think it’s dumb.”

River smiled, hearing Jack's soothing voice. "Hey, it's piece of mind. That's probably worth a little paperwork, right?"

Jack simply grumbled to himself in response.

"Miss River."

River turned around, Jack letting go of her. Codsworth spoke again.

"Shaun has been changed, but he absolutely refuses to calm down. I think he needs some of that 'maternal affection' you seem to be so good at."

Jack kissed River's cheek. "Go ahead, honey. I'll be there in a second to help, ok?"

River nodded before walking into Shaun's room. She approached the crib then looked at the small infant inside. Just looking at him made River smile. It broke her heart when he cried. She gently let out a couple of small shushes and reached her hand into the crib to tickle Shaun. He calmed down a little but he was still upset. River thought for a moment before she began to softly sing.

“Baby boy, don’t cry. No need to say goodbye. Go on, it is your time to shine so spread your little wings and fly.”

Shaun then stopped crying, staring up at his mother with curiosity. River smiled widely.

"My boy isn't giving his mother any trouble, is he?"

River looked at the doorway to see Jack leaning against the wall with a bright smile plastered on his face. He pointed at the mobile attached to Shaun's crib.

"Hey, I fixed that mobile on his crib the other day. Why don't you give it a spin?"

River turned back to the crib and gently spun the mobile, humming along to the tune it played. The tune is what was her lullaby was based on.

Jack walked up to River, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "That's my boy. On his best behavior, just like his dad."

He received a look from his wife.

"Well, most of the time, anyway..." He quickly added with a small chuckle. He grabbed River's hand gently, playing with the ring on her finger.

"Listen, after breakfast, I was thinking we could head to the park for a bit. Weather should hold up."

River raised an eyebrow. "Sounds great. Let me pack the picnic this time." She replied with a witty smirk.

Jack let out a surprised gasp. "Hey, that wasn't my fault! After being married for 9 years, I expected you to have at least told me once that you were allergic to cheese! You've had cheese before!" 

"Yeah, when I wasn't pregnant." River rolled her eyes. "You were there when the doctor diagnosed me."

"Yeah, yeah." Jack crossed his arms, annoyed.

"Don't worry, I don't think it's permanent. Soon I can have all the cheese sandwiches in the world." She lifted up his chin gently.

"Then you won't get all..." Jack puffed his cheeks up, jokingly.

River rolled her eyes,. "Hush." She kissed his nose. "Park's a good idea. You're on Shaun feeding duty though." She jabbed her index finger into his chest.

"Yes, ma'am." Jack saluted.

River and Jack stood there, holding each other's hands and taking in each other's presence, even if it was just for a small moment. Jack leaned down towards River and kissed her softly.

The couple was soon disturbed by an extremely distressed sounding Codsworth.

"Sir? Mum? You better come see this!"

Jack called back, confused. "Codsworth? What's wrong?"

River and Jack looked at each other, nervous. They made their way to where Codsworth was. After seeing Codsworth focused on the TV, River, and Jack copied, listening to the broadcast and curious as to what was going on to make Codsworth so distressed.

"Followed by… yes, followed by flashes. Blinding flashes. Sounds of explosions... We're... We're trying to get confirmation... but we've seemed to have lost contact with our affiliate stations..."

"What's going on?" Jack wondered out loud. River was thinking the same thing.

"We do have... coming in... confirmed reports." The reporter's voice was shaky and scared. "I repeat, confirmed reports of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania."

"What? What did he say?" Jack exclaimed. 

"Oh my god!" River gasped.

Nuclear detonations? 

Oh no... 

Her parents…

Her little sister... 

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening!

“What about West Virginia!?” River yelled at the TV.

Jack turned to River. "We'll worry about them later! We need to get to the vault. Now!"

"I'll grab Shaun!" River then ran into Shaun's bedroom. She quickly but carefully scooped up Shaun, who was softly cooing and making spit bubbles. River ran back into the living room to see Jack telling Codsworth the bad news.

“I’m sorry, bud.”

“It’s quite alright sir!” Codsworth said, understanding. “I am glad that my absence will give room for more people!”

River frowned, concerned. "Codsworth. Stay safe, honey."

"And your family as well, mum. Oh my..." Codsworth said, shocked at the terrible news.

As River and Jack ran to the vault she saw all her neighbors, friends, scream with panic. Soldiers directed everyone to the nearby vault. Jack held onto River, trying to give her some comfort. She wished she could say it worked. She just wanted all of them to be safe. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

They made it to the gate where they saw a familiar man.

"That's absurd! I AM Vault-Tec!"

River paused. They weren't letting some people in? But it was a shelter! They had to protect these people! There surely must've been room...

"Sir, I repeat. You are not on the list." The guard said in a commanding voice.

"I'm going in. You can't stop me!" The man from Vault-Tec protested.

Then a person in a full set of power armor began to start up their minigun. Everyone screamed. Jack stood in front of River to shield her if anything happened. The Vault-Tec representative backed away before running. Jack gently grabbed River's elbow and pulled her towards the guard.

"We need to get in! We're on the list!" Jack demanded.

"Names?"

"River, Jack and Shaun McConnell." He stated, trying to hurry it up.

The guard took a look at his clipboard before stepping away from the gate.

River and Jack began to run, thanking the guard. A person dressed in a blue jumpsuit called them over and told them to follow him.

"What about all those people outside the gate?" River asked. 

"We're doing everything we can! Keep moving!" The man said, avoiding the question.

They were just going to leave them? But they'd die!

"Step on the platform." He commanded.

River and Jack ran onto the platform where other frightened neighbors were. Jack held onto River, scared that if he let go, she would be lost forever. 

"Is Shaun okay?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. He's fine." River reassured him. "Jack?"

"Yes?" 

"I love you."

Jack opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a thundering boom. 

They turned to see a huge cloud beginning to drown to the sky in smoke.

"Oh my god!" River cried, stumbling. 

Jack wrapped his arms fully around her. He held her head to his chest so she wouldn't see. 

"Hold on! I got you! It's going to be okay! I promise!" Jack tried to convince River but it was difficult to do so in their current situation.

The platform began moving down. River briefly opened her eyes and looked up. She saw a layer of debris and powerful winds against a sky full of fire.

"Don't look, honey!" Jack covered her head again.

It felt like an eternity had passed when the platform eventually came to an abrupt halt. Jack moved his hands away from River's head and looked down at her. By now, River was trembling, shaken by what she had just witnessed. Her family... Jack's family... their friends... they were all gone...

Jack cupped her face with both hands and stared into her eyes.

"We did it. We made it. We're okay."

"Everyone please step off the elevator and proceed up the stairs in an orderly fashion." A man on a platform above them spoke.

Murmurs came from the other people on the elevator and everyone stepped out, doing as the man said. River and Jack walked up to a woman and she handed Jack two vault suits for him and River. She seemed so... cheerful. Was she even aware of what had just happened?

"Now just follow the doctor. He'll show you where to go." The woman replied with a bright smile.

"Alright, you three. Follow me." The doctor said with nearly equal enthusiasm. 

"This is our new home." Jack said, wrapping an arm around River's shoulders.

River couldn't hear exactly what the doctor was saying. He and Jack's voices were drowned by River's own terrified thoughts. It was still hard to believe what had actually happened. 

Tears came to River's eyes.

Everything was gone. 

"Now put on your vault suits and step into here." The doctor gestured to a strange looking pod.

"What is that?" River asked, the presence of the pod intimidating her slightly.

The doctor let out a chuckle. "It's just a decontamination chamber. It'll clean you of any radiation you could've gotten out there."

River let Jack change before walking over to him. "Can you hold Shaun?"

Jack nodded and took Shaun into his arms. River then changed before Shaun began to cry. River walked over.

"Mommy's not going far. I'll only be over there." River kissed Shaun's forehead.

"There she is, see?" Jack smiled at River. "Hey. Everything's ok now. And it doesn't matter what happens from now on. As long as we've got each other, it's all going to be fine." 

That reassured River. She gently pecked his lips. "I'll see you soon." 

River climbed into the pod and sat down as it closed. She saw Jack and Shaun through the glass and she smiled. She lay a hand on the glass, watching Jack do the same.

"Time for a new life." River muttered with a hopeful smile. 

At least Shaun would grow up in a secure environment. Sure, not with all the luxuries River had hoped he would get but he would still grow up. Safe.

River smiled until she felt a jolt of coldness run through her body. Why was it so cold? She tried to move but it was nearly impossible. What was going on? She tried to call out for Jack but all that came out was a small exhale before darkness surrounded her.

 

Mumbles.

That's all River could hear.

She shivered, cold. She moved her head. It was painful but she needed to move. She noticed small crystals on her arms and she tried to move them too.

Then she saw an outline of a person. She opened her mouth but only a small whimper could emerge from her throat.

"This is the one. Here."

Were they letting everyone out? Thank God. It was so cold...

Another figure appeared and commanded the other one to open the pod.

River saw the pod open and Jack nearly tumble out, coughing. She tried to call out for him. Her voice croaked. She moved her hands, trying to warm them up. 

The figure then reached out, leaning close to Jack.

"Come here... Come here, baby..."

River could now move her arms properly and she began to bang on the glass of her own pod. 

"No, wait. I've got him."

Was the figure trying to get Shaun? Why? Jack would be fine with him!

River watched as the figure grabbed Shaun. She breathed heavily. 

"J- Ja- Jack!" River called out.

"Let the boy go." The man demanded, pulling out a gun.

River pounded on the glass harder. "St-Stop!"

"I'm only going to tell you once." The man threatened. 

Jack and the figure struggled over Shaun. River was panicking. They- They were trying to take Shaun!

"I'm not giving you Shaun!" Jack yelled.

River was about to shout again but paused when she heard a sound.

A gunshot.

She watched as Jack fell backward, limp. 

"JACK!" River screamed, tears in her eyes. 

This wasn't happening.

"JACK!" She yelled again, beginning to cry.

"Get the kid out of here." The murderer went up to River's pod. She screamed in his face but it had no effect. "At least we still have the backup."

River screamed again, struggling. She wanted to get out! Now!

Her body began to tingle and the freezing sensation took over her body once again.

Then she blacked out. 

 

She awoke once more, coughing. Her eyes glanced around as she struggled to move once again. She was freezing. After roughly a minute passed, River managed to move her body. She pounded on the glass of her pod, trying desperately to get free. The pod soon opened and she fell out onto the hard floor, dripping and cold. Sirens screeched at her eardrums but somehow the sound of her own heartbeat was much more deafening. She crawled to the pod in front of her and pulled herself up onto her feet. 

"Where's the damn release?!" River muttered, shivering. 

She soon found a switch then used all of her strength to flip it. The pod opened slowly to reveal...

Jack's corpse. 

River clutched onto the sides of the pods, scared she would collapse again onto the floor. She leaned into the pod and caressed Jack's cold face. 

She then felt her foot step onto something. She looked down.

It was his ring.

It must've fallen off during the struggle... River slowly bent down and picked it up, observing it. Engraved on it was his name with a heart next to it and next to the heart was another word.

“Forever.”

River grasped it, tears falling down her face. She looked back up at Jack.

"I'll find who did this and get Shaun back. I promise."

And that was a promise she intended to keep.


	2. The Meeting

Nick Valentine sat in the leather chair of his prison, hat over his face in an attempt to drown out the annoying voice of Dino. His damn babysitter who was constantly trying to taunt Nick in an effortless quest to feel smart. Of all people, DINO had to keep watch on him!? He swore that Skinny chose him to keep watch of him purely to torment Nick. It wasn't like he was going anywhere anyway. His thoughts wandered to Ellie. She must've been so worried. He'd been here for at least a week. What on Earth were they planning to do with him anyway?

"How you doin’ in there Valentine? Feeling hungry? Want a snack?" The voice brought Nick out of his thoughts, forcing a scowl on his face. 

Asshole.

"Keep talking, meathead. You'll give Skinny Malone more time to think of how to bump you off." Nick called out, unamused.

"Don't give me that crap, Valentine. You know nothing. You got nothing." Dino argued, trying to defend himself. He grimaced, looking through the small glass window. He frowned, seeing Nick, completely relaxed as if he was drifting off into a calm, peaceful slumber. Why did he get stuck watching the robot anyway? 

"Really? I saw him writing your name down in that black book of his. 'Lousy cheating card shark' I think were his exact words then he struck the name across three times." Nick chuckled to himself, a small, slightly cocky smile working its way onto his rugged lips.

Dino paused, panicked. "Three strikes?  In the black book? But I never... Oh no... I gotta smooth this over! Fast!"

Nick rolled his eyes, leaning back in the chair. There couldn't be anyone stupider- 

Gunshots and the barks and growls of a dog echoed throughout the hall. Nick, surprised by the sudden noise, fell backwards onto the ground, taking the chair with him as he let out a short, loud yell. He grumbled a few curse words as he sat himself up from the cold, hard floor before he grabbed his hat, which had landed a couple of feet away. 

Nick quickly scrambled to his feet, briefly composing himself as fast as he could. What the hell was going on out there!? Soon the gunshots ceased and a woman slowly stepped in front of window, looking off.

River was panting, holding her pipe pistol with shaking hands. Her hair had become a mess and what little makeup she had before was smudged or gone now. She turned to the circular window, spotting a figure across the room. River squinted her eyes, trying her best to get a closer look at them. She presumed that was the detective she was looking for. She did hear the guard call him Valentine while she snuck up the stairs to find him. She was quickly alerted by the figure speaking, forcing her mind to concentrate.

"Hey, you! I don't know who you are but we got three minutes before they realise muscles-for brains ain't coming back. Get this door open!" Nick suddenly felt a slither of hope. 

He didn't want to be stuck here any longer. As much as he adored roleplaying as the Overseer of Vault 114, he definitely preferred his own chair back at the office much more. River looked around for a moment then spotted a terminal. She walked towards it then noticed it was locked.

"Dammit..." She muttered under her breath.

She needed a password. Maybe that guard had it... 

River walked over to the dead body. She took a deep breath before she began to search each pocket the guard had. Dogmeat looked up at River, tilting his head in confusion with a small whine. His mouth was slightly bloody from biting the guard’s leg. 

River soon found a torn off piece of scrap paper with a word on it. That must've been it. She walked back to the terminal and tried the password. She let out a triumphant smile and watched the door open. 

Nick walked towards her. River’s grip tightened on her pistol, finally seeing who the detective really was. She didn’t know exactly what but one thing was for certain.

He wasn’t human. 

He was… A robot? This definitely seemed like information any of the people who mentioned Valentine should’ve told her. River observed the skin on his face (well what looked like skin) and saw that it seemed to peel away. This guy was in terrible shape. Could he have been one of those synths everyone back in Diamond City always talked about? He didn’t seem dangerous. Dogmeat tapped happily to which River shushed him. He seemed okay… For now.

"Gotta love the irony of the reverse damsel-in-distress scenario." Nick chuckled, lighting a cigarette then placed it in between his lips. "Question is, why did our heroine risk life and limb for an old private eye?" 

She shook off all trivial thoughts in her mind. There was only one thing that was important to her right now.

"My baby was kidnapped but I don't know who took him, or where they went." River got straight to the point. Her eyes were full of sadness and dismay.

"A missing kid, huh? Well you came to the right man. If not the right place" Nick then gestured the entire room. "I've been cooped up in here for weeks. Turns out the runaway daughter I came here to find wasn't kidnapped. She's Skinny Malone's new flame, and she's got a mean streak" He added in a slightly annoyed tone. 

He shook his head, reminding himself that this wasn't the time to be talking about his other case. "Anyway, I'd be glad to help. But now ain't the time. Let's blow this joint. Then we'll talk."

River nodded before she began to walk, Dogmeat happily trotting by her side. "I'm River by the way. River McConnell." She then gestured to her faithful companion. “This is Dogmeat.”

Dogmeat barked in response. Nick smiled, getting down on one knee.

“Thought I recognised him. How you doing, boy?” Nick pet Dogmeat with a smile.

“Dogmeat’s been around…” River awkwardly smiled, thinking back to when she was at the Museum of Freedom.

“Yeah.” Nick stood up. “He’s helped me on a few cases. He only likes certain people.” He glanced at River with a smile. “Sorry… River, wasn’t it?” He received a nod.

Nick thought for a moment as he began to walk again, the gears in his head turning in confusion and contemplation. Why did that name sound somewhat... familiar? River… River, River, River… Nick let out a quick sigh and shook his head lightly. He'd figure it out later. Figure out the most important problems first then worry about the secondary problems later.

"The name's Nick Valentine, but I guess you already figured that out since you came looking for me." Nick threw his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it. “It’s nice to meet you.”

River listened to him talk while she observed his face. She could see the parts in his head move and rotate as he spoke, accompanied by a soft whir and the clashing of different pieces of metal as they powered his thoughts.  
"Hold on" Nick held out his arm, preventing River from taking another step. "I hear someone coming."

A few men were in the room. Nick leaned against the wall then he whispered "So how do you want to play this?" 

"Well I don't think we can talk ourselves out of this one. If they shoot at us, shoot back." River suggested, whispering back as she stood up against the doorframe. Nick nodded, agreeing with her plan and River cautiously stepped into the room.

The men caught sight of the blonde woman and the synth detective by her side and immediately opened fire on them, yelling. River quickly moved back into cover, telling Dogmeat to stay put. She didn’t want to put him in danger. One guy was okay for him but three might be too much. 

Nick ran and dived behind an overturned dining table. One man ran straight for the table Nick was hiding behind. Seeing this, River stepped out of cover and aimed her gun as fast as she could, lining up the sight with the man’s head. She pulled the trigger. The man dropped down, dead and River gulped, getting behind cover. She began to sweat. She had killed before. She helped out a few settlements before going to Diamond City to deal with raiders before. But they were still humans… It was still against the law! Had society really crumbled that much in the past two hundred years? 

Nick was grateful for River’s help and yelled a thanks as he got out of his own cover. He quickly shot one man in the shoulder and the other in the neck, causing a bloody display to spray itself across the metallic walls of the vault. Nick cursed under his breath, knowing that one was alive and he went back into cover. River took deep breaths in and out. She tried motivating herself. 

This isn’t your time.

Things have changed.

It’s kill or be killed.

You have to find Shaun.

River yelled, running out of cover. This caught the injured attacker’s attention and he raised his own gun. River moved to the side as a bullet lazily flew past her. She was about five feet away from the man now and she aimed her gun, shooting him in the eye. He wasn't dead yet, however, as he launched himself at River, pinning her down. River yelled in alarm as blood began to pour onto her face. Nick quickly stood up from behind his cover, seeing the struggle. He quickly drew his gun.

And fired.

The lifeless corpse dropped onto River, she squealed as she pushed it off her, backing up. She whimpered at the sight of the gory display. She could feel the warm blood on her face.

Nick dusted off his trench coat. "Nice shooting. Too bad for whoever cleans up the floors." 

River gagged before moving the head to the side, vomiting. Nick’s eyes widened as he ran over to her. He stood by, awkwardly, waiting for her to finish. What had shaken her up so much?

Eventually, River sat up and rubbed her mouth with her shirt sleeve. She looked up at Nick, forgetting he was there for a moment. She immediately looked down, embarrassed. 

“Are you okay?” Nick asked, concerned.

River didn't respond. Nick could tell she was very uncomfortable. "Here…"

River turned to Nick, seeing him dig into one of his trench coat pockets. He eventually pulled out a handkerchief, handing it to the distressed woman.

"Keep it."

River smiled sadly as she wiped the blood off her face as best as she could. "Thanks."

Nick nodded and helped her up. River called Dogmeat over and the canine ran to her as she put the bloody handkerchief in her own pocket. The three walked away after River grabbed her gun and continued forward. River tried to act more calm when she was faced with more of Skinny’s men. Nick mostly handled them but River helped occasionally so that she would make herself useful.

Eventually, they came face to face with the man himself. Skinny Malone. Nick wasn't lying. This girl Skinny was with; she definitely had a mean streak alright.

River watched them all argue and fight until the Skinny’s girlfriend -now known to River as Darla- pointed to her.

"What's this lady doing here, huh? Valentine must've brought her here to rub us all out!"

Nick looked over at River, expecting her to do something. River turned to Darla. She turned to Nick, nervous before turning back to Darla. What was she supposed to do? She didn't know anyone, she had no idea what to say! 

River took a deep breath before she cleared her throat, putting on her best lawyer voice. "Darla, listen to me. You have a home to go back to. A family who loves you. You don't want to throw your life away with these thugs, do you?"

Darla raised her bat, about to yell but then paused. "My family don't love me."

Nick decided to step in. "It's true. Your father is worried sick. And your poor mother… She was in pieces in my office."

Darla's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Don't listen to 'em, Dar." Skinny protested.

"Shut it, Skinny." Darla spat. She turned back to River and Nick, lowering her bat slightly. "How much are they paying?"

"Two hundred caps." Nick explained.

"Two…" Darla trailed off. "I... I... You're right! What am I doing? I've gotten all mixed up!" Darla cried, backing up.

"Darla? Wh- where are you going?"

"Home, Skinny! Where I should've been all this time. This is goodbye for us." Darla threw her bat down. She gave one last look to her former lover before running away.

Skinny looked back to Nick and River, a look of betrayal present on his face. "Oh, come on, Nicky! You cost me my men, then you and your friend here cost me my girl?"

Nick smirked, shrugging off his old friend. "My friend here just did you a favour, Skinny. You always did have bad taste in women."

"Now that she's not around to feed that temper of yours, maybe you'll see sense and let us walk? You still owe me for two weeks in the hole."

"You smug, overconfident ass…" Skinny growled in frustration. He gave in. "Alright! You get to the count of ten! I still see your face after that, I'm gunning both of you down!" Skinny yelled then began counting down, aggression proud in his tone.

River began to run, Dogmeat and Nick next to her. "You had a plan if that didn't work right?" Se asked, stepping into the rest of the Commonwealth. 

"You want the truth? No." Nick admitted, chuckling half-heartedly. He pointed to a doorway. "Through there!"

The trio entered the small room, where a ladder stood. Nick went first, climbing up. Once he reached the top, he made sure his footing was secure before removing the manhole cover, concealing the exit.

"Need any help?" River offered.

"I'm… good." Nick grunted as he finally pushed the manhole cover away. Rain immediately pounded down on Nick. He frown in annoyance as he climbed out. "Dogmeat's turn." He turned back to the room below, stretching out his arms.

River huffed as she looked down at Dogmeat, the canine happily panting as he stared back up at her. River bent down, barely managing to pick up Dogmeat. He was big. And most certainly heavy. She trudged over to the ladder, trying her best to hold Dogmeat up. Nick was quick to scoop him out of River's arms, pulling him up with him. Once he was up, River quickly climbed after them. She soon emerged above ground. Dogmeat lay down for a moment. 

Nick sighed, rubbing his hands together. "Ah look at that commonwealth sky. Never thought anything so naturally ominous could end up looking inviting..."

River looked up, observing the sky. She had to admit for an apocalypse, it seemed more beautiful as it ever did. 

"Thanks for getting me out. How did you know where to find me, anyway? Not many people know where I went..." Nick questioned. Maybe Vadim decided to blab to everyone in his bar. Vadim was a good guy but boy did he have a mouth on him.

River folded her arms, feeling a little chilly. “Your secretary, Ellie. She sent me."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "She did? I should give her a raise..." He cleared his throat. "Now, you mentioned something about your son. He was kidnapped?"

River nodded, still shivering.

Nick looked River up and down. "You’re going to freeze to death out here. How about you come to my office in Diamond City. Give me all the details. Besides, I think you've earned the chance to sit down and clear your head."

Thank God. 

"Lead the way." River said, glad that she was one step closer to finding her baby.

 

River, Dogmeat and Nick approached the large entrance of the Great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth. On the way, a variety of guards muttered things along the lines of. ‘Nicky’s back!’ and ‘Hey, did that vault dweller save him?’ River looked away from them. She didn’t save him. She just… helped him escape. He did most of the work. Once they climbed the towering stairs, Nick let out a relaxed sigh. Home sweet home.

As the three entered the city, a guard spotted River. He called out to her.

"Hey!”

River turned, nervous. Nick shifted his eyes to look at River. He hoped he hadn't picked up a troublemaker. “Is there a problem, officer?”

The guard shook his head. “Nah. Welcome back, Nick.” He then looked at River. “You're that Vault Dweller. From the paper.” River nodded. “Read that interview you gave. That thing you said at the end? About having hope? Good on ya." He gave River a pat on the back before going back to his usual post.

River muttered out a confused 'thanks' before she walked down the steps with Nick leading the way to his office. That’s when another voice caught her attention as she walked past Publick Occurrences.

"Hey lady!"

River turned to the young girl waving a newspaper frantically. She was under the cover of the building, safe from the pouring rain.

"That interview you did with Piper is really selling! Here's your free copy." The girl handing out papers -Who was also Piper’s sister- practically shoved the newspaper that was in her hand in River’s face. She then jumped down from her block to grab a new one and gave Dogmeat a pet with a giggle, earning a happy bark from him. She went back onto her block and continued to advertise her sister’s paper.

"Oh! Um, thanks." River said, putting the paper in her bag. She would have to read it later.

Nick smiled. This woman was quite the celebrity.

As they continued walking, Nick looked down at River. “So you met Piper, huh?”

“Yeah.” River smiled. “She’s… ambitious.”

Nick let out a soft chuckle at River’s comment. There were many words that you could describe Piper with. Ambitious was definitely one of them. He smiled down at River. “I’m not surprised that she dragged you in for an interview. Vault dwellers are rare around these parts.”

“Are you friends with her?” River asked, curious. 

In this city, it was rare to see someone who liked Piper and her stories. It was a little sad actually. Piper had spent so much time and effort into writing papers at the risk of her own life in some parts on researching subjects that could actually inform and help the people of Diamond City. But instead her work was just tossed to the side.

Nick thought for a moment before shrugging. “I’d say we are. I’ve known her ever since she came to Diamond City with her sister. You think she’s feisty now, you should’ve seen her a few years ago. Knees scuffed up and a determined look plastered on her face.”

River let out a short giggle. “I bet she got in trouble a lot.”

Nick smirked. “How do you think I got to know her? She was in my office from day one.”

That’s when they came up to the flickering sign of the Valentine Detective Agency. Nick held the door open for River as she walked into the agency, Dogmeat following her. He shook himself before laying on the ground to rest for a little while.

"Thank you." River smiled.

Nick walked in, taking his wet hat and coat off. "Ellie? You here?" He called out.

"Nick!?" Ellie exclaimed as she ran in from the other room. "Oh God, it's really you!" Tears of happiness and relief were stinging her eyes. She lunged at Nick, hugging him with laughter full of joy.

"Well it's hard to mistake this mug for anyone else." Nick smirked, hugging her back gently. When they parted from the hug, Nick then hung his coat on his chair and his hat on the desk to dry.

"You keep laughing at death, some day death's going to laugh back." Ellie stated, folding her arms, giving Nick a stern glare.

Nick turned to look at River. "Not as long as I got a few friends to back me up" He winked, causing River’s cheeks to flush out of embarrassment. She honestly didn’t do that much in her eyes. Nick was capable. He would’ve eventually escaped on his own. Nick sat down in his chair, lighting one of his cigarettes, placing the stick between his ragged lips.

Ellie dug in her torn and patched up pockets of her dress before pulling out a small bag. It made a small jingling sound as Ellie tried to hand it to River. "Here. I know there wasn't an amount on the table when you went out to find him but you deserve a reward."

River shook her head politely. "Thank you but I didn't do it for the money."

Ellie was a little surprised. Any other person would just take the money or even ask for more. But she didn’t. Ellie persisted anyway as she would feel terrible if she didn’t reward Nick’s hero. "But, you definitely deserve it. You've saved Nick, the agency and my job." She let out a small chuckle.

"Honestly I'm fine. You never know when you might need it." River smiled before she sneezed, covering her mouth. She sniffled with a groan.

"At least let me get you some spare clothes. You'll freeze to death in those." Ellie said, rushing back into her room before River could stop her. Ellie soon came back out. "Sorry, my clothes are still drying from being washed."

"She can borrow some of mine." Nick said from his chair, not looking up from a clipboard where he was currently writing down some notes for the Diamond City Police. He had recently closed a case involving a robbery and his paperwork was long past due. He couldn't exactly help being cooped up and held prisoner in a vault for a week.

"Are you sure?" River asked.

"Of course, I don't really wear other clothes anyway." Nick blew smoke from his cigarette. 

"I'll get them." Ellie said. "You can get changed in my room."

"Thank you." River said to the both of them before following Ellie into her room.

Ellie walked back into the main office quickly. She went to her personal notes cabinet, digging into it for her notebook and one of her many pencils. When she finally found them, she turned to Nick to ask something but saw him looking deep in thought.

"What are you you thinking?" Ellie questioned with a smirk.

Nick was suddenly snapped out of thought. "Hm? Oh, nothing. Just thinking about my time in Vault 114. Thanks for sending her." He smiled gratefully.

"Well you know Security is useless." Ellie chuckled. "What's the case?"

"Missing kid." Nick stated. 

He could already tell what Ellie was thinking by the way she quickly frowned. Nick turned back to his desk with a sigh. "We don't know if it was then."

The two soon turned their attention to the footsteps coming from Ellie's room. River soon entered, wearing the new clothes. The shirt was a bit itchy and the outfit was slightly big but other than that, they were pretty nice.

"You look pretty good. You know Nick could use a new partner..." Ellie's voice trailed off as she turned to Nick.

Nick chuckled. "Woah. One case at a time, Ellie. Our new friend needs our help, first." He finally looked up and nearly laughed at the size difference between River and his clothes. "All right let's get down to business. Take a seat, make yourself comfortable."

River nodded before sitting down in the chair opposite Nick. Ellie stood by him, ready to write down the details.

"When you're trying to find someone who's missing, the devil is always in the details. Tell me everything you can, no matter how... painful it might be." He knew it would be hard for her but he needed every bit of information he could get to catch the bastard. River nodded, understanding. 

She talked about Shaun, how old he was and what he looked like. She talked about the kidnappers themselves and how they described her as 'The Backup'. Nick thought for a moment before he concluded.

"That confirms it. Whoever took your kid had an agenda. There are a lot of groups that take people. Raiders, super mutants, the gunners and of course..." Nick groaned, looking back to Ellie for a moment. "The Institute."

"So you think the institute is responsible?" River asked. She had heard about the Institute of course. Piper told her all about it before the interview she did with her. They did seem like the perfect candidate for kidnapping her baby.

"Those early model synths of theirs stripped towns down, killed everything in their way. The new models look like perfect replicas of humans though, used for infiltrating cities. Nobody even knows why they're doing it. Not even me and I'm a synth myself." Nick said, scratching his chin with his metallic hand and River couldn’t help but stare longer than she should’ve. "Well, a discarded prototype anyway."

"A prototype?" River raised an eyebrow.

"As far as I know.” Nick shrugged. “Never seen any other synth like myself. There's the older ones that are dumb as rocks and all metal, then there's the newer ones that are almost human. I'm somewhere in between." He shook his head. "Anyway, there's no time for speculation. Let's just focus on what you saw. What did these kidnappers look like?" 

River tried to remember. Then she remembered the guy that called her the backup. How could she forget that face? "One of they came right up to me. Bald head, scar across his left eye."

"Wait..." Nick muttered to himself, thinking. "It couldn't be..." He turned back to River. "You didn't hear the name 'Kellogg' at all did you?"

"No. They never said their names" River said, looking down a little.

"It's way too big of a coincidence..." He looked up at Ellie. "Ellie, what notes do we have about the Kellogg case?"

Ellie hurried over to a filing cabinet, pulling out a file and read some of it. "The description matches. Has a reputation for dangerous mercenary work but nobody knows who his employer is."

"And he bought a house in town, right? And he had a kid with him, didn't he?" Nick asked.

"Yes, that's right. But the boy was around ten years old" Ellie said, making Nick sigh in defeat.

That... that couldn't be Shaun, right?

"You said he still lives here, he's in town?" River asked, hopeful.

"They both vanished a while back if I'm remembering right, but that house is still there." Nick stood up, grabbing his coat and hat which were at least a little bit dry by now. "Let's you and I take a walk over to Kellogg's last known address. See if we can snoop out where he went."

River nodded and stood up from the chair. Seeing her about to exit, Dogmeat’s ears perked up and he stretched before standing up, awaiting River’s next move.

Ellie looked worried. "Security isn't great in that part of town but you two should still be careful." She warned. She didn’t want Nick being at risk of harm again.

Nick smirked. "I always am." He then made his way outside, River close behind.

The rain had gone by now but the puddles still remained which River was careful to avoid. As she and Dogmeat followed Nick, he spoke.

"I didn't want Ellie to hear this, but I think you should know. Everything I dug up about Kellogg before his disappearance is bad news. He's more than just a mercenary. He's a professional. Quick, clean, thorough. Has no enemies, because they're all dead... except you." He shoved his hands in his pockets.

River gulped.

"But nine to one odds says he's our man.” Nick came to a long set of stairs. “Leading a small team to kidnap a baby, and leaving one of the parents alive for later? Not many mercs in the Commonwealth can pull that off." The three finally made it to the old house.

Nick approached the door and looked around before he tried to tinker with the lock. He knew that it would be against the law but... this had to be an exception. 

He let out an angry sigh when it refused to unlock. He turned to River. "Wanna give it a try?"

"I've... never really picked a lock before..." River said.

“Oh… ok…” Nick then thought to himself, coming up with an idea. "Hey. Why don't you check the mayor's office? If you can convince him, I'm sure he'll give you the key. Take the elevator over there." He pointed to the elevator at the entrance.

River nodded. "Okay. I won't be long." Dogmeat barked, getting River’s attention. She frowned. “Sorry, Dogmeat, I don’t think they’ll let dogs in.” Dogmeat whined. “Wait here with Nick, okay?”

Dogmeat replied with a small bark and stayed near Nick as River walked away, waving. Nick leaned against the building and puffed smoke from his lips. He thought for a moment. There was something about River... something... familiar. It confused him. He was sure he had never seen her before but something was nagging him at the back of his head. He didn't like information being withheld from his eyes especially if it provided the answers to questions he needed answers to. After the case, he would ask her about it. He needed to know what it was about her…

“Do you know why she reminds me of someone, boy?” Nick asked the canine next to him, giving him a scratch behind the ears with his undamaged hand.

 

He soon saw the woman on his mind walk up to him. She held up a key and smiled. "Got it."

"Great. Let's head in." Nick gestured to the door.

River walked over to the door and unlocked it. She took a deep breath before walking in. River and Nick looked around the room. It was fairly simple, nothing particularly out of the ordinary. Dogmeat immediately started sniffing around.

"Let's take a look around. Kellogg must have left something behind." Nick stated before he walked away, beginning to search for any sort of clue that could help them.

River searched the floor above them but couldn't find anything useful.

"Place seem small to you? Figured a guy like Kellogg would think big." Nick muttered aloud. "Have you checked the desk?"

"No. I'll search it now."

River walked down the stairs and made her way over to the rusty, old desk. She checked each draw. Empty except for a couple of pencils. She then pulled the wooden chair away from the desk and crouched down, looking under the table. She saw a giant button. Not exactly subtle. She cautiously pressed it, ready for any sort of booby trap. Suddenly a wall opened on the other side of the house, revealing a completely new room.

"Well... that's one way to hide a room." Nick noted, a little shocked.

They stepped into the room. River looked around, observing shelves filling with various food, drink, guns and ammo. Nick turned to her.

"He stocked up this room... why?" He thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Go on and take anything you need. He won’t be using it."

River looked around the shelves. Stealing? She didn’t really want to. Even if this monster did... 

Her stomach rumbled.

She did need some food... 

River grabbed as much food and a variety of drinks off of the shelf as she could and quickly shoved them into her bag. She also grabbed some ammunition. 

"Look at this." Nick said. River turned to him and looked at a table he was pointing to. "All of a mercs favorite things."

"Gwinnett Stout Beer… some type of bullets... and cigars." River picked up a box then read the brand. "'San Francisco Sunlights.'"

River thought for a moment before an idea came to her head. "Hey, you think maybe Dogmeat could track the scent?"

Dogmeat’s ears stood at full attention from the front door, hearing his name mentioned. 

Nick smiled. "Say, that's not a bad idea. Some dogs in the Commonwealth can track a man for miles."

River grabbed a cigarette out of the box then proceed to make her way to the door when Nick stopped her with a hand placed on her shoulder.

"Hey. Before you head out... I know this is personal business. If you want to face Kellogg on your own, just say so."

River turned to him. She gave him a small, gentle smile. "I want you with me on this, Nick. Sounds like you want this guy too."

Nick smiled. He was glad River didn't go alone. Judging from her actions back in the vault, killing wasn’t really a thing she enjoyed doing. "All right. Let's get that bastard. This is your show from here on out, okay? You say jump, I'll say how high."

River nodded before the two made their way outside. Dogmeat tilted his head in confusion when River knelt down to his height. She held out one of the San Francisco Sunlights and let Dogmeat cautiously sniff it.

"Okay, Dogmeat. Get the scent boy." River smiled.

Dogmeat's head suddenly stood erect, looking in the direction of the exit to Diamond City. 

River laughed, excited that she would finally find her baby. "Take me to him, boy.”

She looked out to the rest of Diamond City, her voice full of determination.

"Take me to Shaun."


	3. Revenge

River and Nick had been following Dogmeat for some time now. They were getting closer. They had discovered a bloody bandage that had caught on a broken chain link fence. Dogmeat quickly picked up the scent. As they walked, however, Nick thought back on something he had noticed frequently. River never hesitated to kill the vicious creatures of the Commonwealth. Bloatflies, hounds, stingwings, you name it. But she always hesitated to pull the trigger on humans.

“I forgot to ask.” Nick started. “Would you prefer ‘River’ or ‘Miss McConnell?”

River turned to him with a soft smile. “River is fine. And… it’s Mrs…”

“Oh.” Nick blinked. “Sorry. Where is-”

“Kellogg.” River interrupted. “I didn’t mention it before…”

“I’m sorry to hear that…” Nick said in a low tone. “We'll get him.”

“Thanks… Don't know how we're going to be able to take him down, though… We should bring him back to Diamond City, put him on trial… if that's even a thing that we can do.”

“You're not planning on killing him?” Nick raised a non-existent eyebrow.

“I want to. I mean, that's normal, right?” That earned a quick nod from Nick. “But that isn't how things should be done.” River noted. Dogmeat had sped up a bit, causing the other two to quicken their pace also. “And how could I? He's another person with thoughts, feelings and emotions. Yeah, he's insane and a murderer but he's human too.”

“You have a problem with killing humans, I've noticed.” Nick stated with an understanding nod.

“Well, I guess I'm still not used to this time.” River shrugged, earning a confused look from Nick. She realised why he was confused. “Sorry. I keep forgetting to tell you the important stuff. I have to say it so much I forget who knows and who doesn't.” She sheepishly smiled. “This may be strange but... I'm not actually from this time. I came from before the war." That caused Nick to stop in his tracks. He quickly whistled, causing Dogmeat to also stop, trotting back over to them. River explained further.

"You know I came from a vault. The vault performed an experiment two hundred years ago. Cryogenic sleeping. When the bombs began to fall, my husband and I ran to the vault. We were told that we were getting into a decontamination pod but... it froze us instead. That's why it was so easy for Kellogg to take Shaun. Jack was still trying to thaw out when he struggled." River looked down.

"Of course." Nick sighed, finally piecing it together. "Hell of a shock when you finally saw this world then." He knew that feeling more than anyone. "The ideas of the 21st century are still fresh in your mind. Killing a human is murder, even if it is defending yourself."

River nodded slowly. She remembered all those raiders surrounding the Museum of Freedom when she first met Preston. She tried to talk to them but she nearly ended up with a broken... well… everything.

"I'm sorry but I have to tell you." Nick didn't want to sound harsh but he had to make it clear. "This world is nothing like the one you grew up in. You have to kill. Most of the people you'll have to kill will be human; there's no denying it. If you want to find your son and survive, you have to forget the rules of the past and embrace the lack of ones now."

River looked back at Nick, understanding. She was still uncomfortable with the thought of murdering more people, however.

"Thanks." She muttered, grateful for the advice.

Nick opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a bark coming from Dogmeat. River and Nick turned to the canine who darted towards a large building. River quickly ran after Dogmeat, staying just next to him. Nick soon followed close behind until the three of them were looking up at a large building.

"This the place, boy?" River stared at the wooden boards covering what would've been the front entrance of the building with a frown on her face. That way in was out of the question.

Dogmeat turned to River and barked, answering his friend's question, somehow maintaining a sure expression. River got on one knee and pet Dogmeat with a smile.

"Thanks, Dogmeat." River stood up, readying her pipe pistol. She looked down at Dogmeat "Stay here, boy. You've earned a rest. Stay safe."

Dogmeat barked again before lying down on the ground, his head resting on his front paws. River turned to Nick before making her way around the building, looking for a way in. A few turrets were daring enough to aim and shoot at them but they were quickly dealt with.  
“There might be an entrance up here.” Nick said, climbing up the ramps and stairs onto the roof, River right beside him.

The turrets were gone with the mechanical remains strewn across the roof. A smoky stench littered the air, making River’s nose twitch. The pair explored the roof for a minute until they came to a set of doors that led to the murderer inside.

"Let's go." River said, flinging the doors open and eagerly climbing down the ladder.

River hopped off the ladder once she was down, looking around the building. It seemed to be a norm building save for the collapsed floors and the stench of metal. Or was that just Nick?

“Intruder detected.”

River nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard that chilling voice. Nick quickly pulled her aside behind a wall. One thing was for sure: that scratchy, monotone voice wasn't human.

River heard footsteps approaching. There were multiple things heading their way.

“Building has been breached.” One of them said, spotting the open hatch leading outside.

“Alert Kellogg.”

The voices were all the same. It took River a moment to even realise different things were speaking. Then it hit her. These must've been synths. Nick put a finger to his lips, looking at River. They waited for a moment together as the synths wandered around the room, looking for the intruders.

The wall behind Nick and River creaked for a moment. They gave each other a cautious glance before Nick suddenly fell backward, into the wall. River tried grabbing him but found him to be too heavy, quickly falling after him but catching herself on the wall.

Nick groaned, being pierced by the plaster and wooden supports of the wall. River frantically looked around, getting her pistol ready.

“You better get back up.” River warned.

Nick stumbled to his feet just as the synths rounded the corner. He recognised those bastards. Gen twos. Great. He saw River freeze for a moment upon seeing them. Nick quickly snapped her out of it by shooting one in the head.

“It is the girl.”

River closed her eyes and shot the other synth, making it tumble to the ground. It was still ‘alive’, however, crawling towards River. She yelped, shooting it in the head a couple of times, making sure it was dead.

“There won't be just two. Come on. They know we're here now.” Nick began to walk away but realised River hadn't followed.

He turned around to see River staring down at the synth she killed. Nick frowned, walking towards her. She glanced back up at him, slightly cringing. Nick knew that look.

“Can they… feel it?”

Nick simply shook his head. “Don't worry. They have as much emotion as a circuit board.” He gently kicked the hunk of metal. “They don't even know the concept of their own death. It's just the off switch.”

River tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “But… You…” She didn't want to finish her sentence. Luckily, Nick understood what she meant.

“I'm a prototype, remember? We may look the same but I'm the only one who has a life beyond the Institute.” He gestured for River to follow him as he began to walk. “Just don't shoot the synth in the trench coat and we'll be fine.”

“Got it.”

The pair made their way through the decrepit building, killing many different models of old synths they passed along the way. River soon found herself stood in front of a bulky, metal door. River reached for the handle then stopped as she heard a voice. It was low, sending shivers down her spine.

"If it isn't my old friend, the frozen tv dinner. Last time we met, you were cozying up to the peas and apple cobbler."

_Kellogg._

River opened the door, letting it swing open. Suddenly electricity sparked, striking the ground with harsh smacks. River just managed to dodge it as she quickly stumbled backward. She waited for an opening when the sparks didn't obstruct a straight path away from them before diving through, her heart racing as she managed to land the other side with no damage. She turned around, seeing Nick follow suit, jumping away from the sparks, dusting off his old and dirty trench coat once he made sure no harm had been done.

"You okay?" River asked, concerned for Nick's safety.

Nick nodded in reply. He looked back at the sparks for a moment as he spoke. "That would've fried me."

"You... can leave, if you don't want to do this." River didn't want to do this alone but she also didn't want to put Nick in any more danger. Especially since he had helped her so much already.

Nick chuckled and adjusted his hat as he looked at her. "You ain't getting rid of me that easily."

River smiled before continuing to make her way deeper into the seemingly endless building.

"Sorry your house has been a wreck for 200 years. But I don't need a roommate. Leave." Kellogg's voice stated over the intercom that was above them.

As if River was going to leave now. She pushed through another metal door.

"Hmph. Never expected you to come knocking on my door. Gave you 50/50 odds of making it to Diamond City. After that? Figured the Commonwealth would chew you up like jerky."

"I'm not some housewife Kellogg." River spat. She didn't know if he could hear her. She didn't care.

"Look. You're pissed off. I get it. I do."

River's scowl only grew as Kellogg taunted her. She could practically hear the shit eating grin on his face as his voice echoed in her mind. She tried to block out Kellogg's voice in her head and continued to walk. Nick watched her from behind. River was getting angrier by the second. Hell, Nick couldn't help but feel a little sorry for that son of a bitch.

"You've got guts and determination, and that's admirable. But you are in over your head in ways you can't possibly comprehend."

River scoffed as Kellogg continued trying to get her to back down from facing him. His attempts were for naught, however. River wasn't going to leave now. Not when she was so close. She grit her teeth as she repeated Kellogg's words in her own head. What she couldn't... comprehend? What she couldn't comprehend? Well, what she COULD comprehend was that this murderer had her son and there was no way in hell that he was tearing her away from him any longer.

"It's not too late. Stop. Turn around and-”

_**BANG.** _

Nick nearly jumped out of his manufactured ‘skin’ when he heard the loud shot. River lowered her pistol away from the smoking intercom. She turned the corner into a hallway, shooting down a turret. An eerie silence filled the room as River walked through another doorway. The room was fairly normal, save for a suspiciously clean set of medical supplies and appliances. Nick quickly pocketed some stimpaks that were sure to come in handy before following River to a large metal door at the end of the room. They both tried to open the door. It wouldn't budge.

"Dammit!" River sighed, running a hand through her hair, the stress of the situation clear on her face.

The pair stood in silence for a moment. It felt like forever. Nick opened his mouth to say something when an annoyed sigh rang throughout the halls, coming from each speaker in the corners of the different rooms in the building.

"Okay, you made it. I'm just up ahead. My synths are standing down.

The door opened.

"Let's talk."

Nick and River turned to each over, the same confused expression on their faces. River cautiously took a step into the next dark room before Nick put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

“Look. I know you're pissed, but we can't lose focus now.”

“Nick, he has my son!” River argued.

“I know. But this isn't going to help. Do whatever you like with him after but try to get information out of him first. Dead people don't talk.”

It only took River a moment to decide. “Fine. I'll try my best.”

Nick gave her a reassuring nod before they walked into the room together. Nick stood tall next to River, his eyes illuminating a small portion of the area in front of him and River with a radiating golden glow.

"Kellogg?" River called out, fearing an ambush.

Suddenly the lights flashed on one by one. Nick and River quickly raised their weapons almost in sync. A tall figure walked out, revealing himself alongside a couple of synths, holding his arms up in defense. River took a deep breath as she walked forward, ready to face the monster.

Kellogg smiled, outstretching his arms. "And there she is. The most resilient woman in the Commonwealth. You came a long way." He crossed his arms, eager to listen. "Let's hear it."

River took one step forward on each demeaning word. "You murdering, kidnapping psychopath." She stopped. "Where is my son!?"

"Right to it, eh?" Kellogg chuckled. "Your son, Shaun. Great kid. A little older than you may have expected, but I'm guessing you figured that out by now."

He noticed the angered expression on River's face. The bitterness in her voice. Was kind of good to know other people suffered in this hell hole of a world too.

"But if you're hoping for a happy reunion? Ain't gonna happen. Your boy's not here." Kellogg flashed a smug smile, aiming it at River.

"Goddammit, you son of a bitch! Where. Is. My. SON?!" River nearly forced the gun in Kellogg's face, tears in her eyes.

"River..." Nick said in a low, warning tone, taking one cautious step towards her.

Kellogg chuckled, pushing the gun away from his face with a single finger. He stared down at the smaller woman. "What's the cliché? So close yet so far?" He moved his face closer to River's, invading her personal space.

"That's Shaun."

Kellogg took a step back, facing away from River. She should've killed him right there. But she needed to hear his excuse. What justified his bloodlust?

"But don't worry. You'll die knowing he's safe and happy. A bit older than you expected, but ah well. At least he's in a loving home. The Institute."

River clenched her teeth. She couldn't believe it. The Institute. The place that takes people and never brings them back has Shaun. And this monster just handed her son over to them like he was an item! A product you see on a shelf in a store!

"So where is it? Huh? This Institute? How do I get there?" River glared at Kellogg.

Kellogg let out a chuckle. River despised him. He looked at her as if she was stupid. "Heh. Haven't you been paying attention? You don't find the institute. The Institute finds you. You open a closet, it's just a closet. You can never find the monster that hides inside. Not until it jumps out at you."

“Why?” River asked. “Why did you do this?”

Kellogg didn't answer.

“You didn't have to kill him…” River told him, tears beginning to fall down her face which she quickly tried to wipe away. “You didn't…”

“He got in my way.” Kellogg simply stated. “I'm an impatient man. He was taking his sweet time.”

“You bastard!” River grit her teeth. “He couldn't defend himself!” She argued, beginning to circle him. Nick took another step forward, ready.

“I know it was unfair. The defrosting process definitely limited him. My guys looked through everyone's profiles when looking for the kid. Your husband was a soldier. Shame. He could've been useful.” Kellogg followed River's glare. He pulled out his gun from its holster subtly, double checking to see if it was fully loaded. "But I think we've been talking long enough. We both know how this has to end. So... you ready?"

River was already aiming directly at his head.

A synth was ahead of her though and immediately lunged at her. River yelped in surprise as she was forced onto the ground by an extremely heavy weight. She struggled under the synth as it began to punch her repeatedly. Then, the synth reached over and grabbed something. River stared at the object with wide eyes. She didn’t know what it was but the electricity emitting from it wasn’t a good sign.

Nick was fighting off another synth who had tried attacking him. After hearing a high pitched shrill of a scream, he immediately spun around to look for River. The synth fighting him took this opportunity to ready his own baton and jumped for Nick. Nick, now noticing the sound of electricity behind him. Nick turned and immediately saw the synth jabbing its baton at him. Nick reacted quickly, grabbing the synths arm, dropping his gun in the process. River continued to scream as she was repeatedly electrified. As Nick tried to fend off the synth currently overpowering him, he quickly stepped on his gun and kicked it backward, hoping that it reached River.

“River! Grab the gun!” Nick’s voice rang out.

River turned her head, spotting Nick’s gun. She reached out, her arm twitching with each shot, eventually letting her fingers find the cold metal of Nick’s gun. She plunged it into the synth’s stomach and fired, seeing it fall, limp. She scrambled backwards away from the dead synth, panting. Her entire body hurt. She looked up and saw another synth trying to attack Nick. River’s eyes widened as she stumbled to her feet. She tried running to Nick, gun aimed before something forced itself in the back of River’s leg, tripping her up. She fell to the ground. Her head bounced off the cold, hard floor, causing River’s vision to blur and fade.

She felt her body being dragged away from Nick. She struggled, trying to hit her attacker but it was nearly impossible with her vision impaired. She was suddenly forced against a wall, an arm to her neck.

She couldn’t breathe.

River began choking, scratching the arm of whoever held her. She felt skin. That meant...

She could hear the son of a bitch laughing at her. Laughing as the life began to drain from her face.

That was before Kellogg let her go with a yell. River fell to the ground, coughing and spluttering. She looked up to see Kellogg violently twitching with Nick behind him, shoving something into his back.

It was only a matter of time before Kellogg fought back and elbowed Nick hard, knocking the baton out of his hands. Nick tumbled away before Kellogg kicked him into a block of computers. He took out a combat knife as his gun had fallen from his hands and approached Nick.

Nick growled, lifting up his hat. The glass of the computers pierced his clothes. He stood up, ready to dodge any of Kellogg’s attacks, holding his fists up in front of his face. Kellogg cracked a smile. This little guy thought he was tough, huh?

Kellogg threw himself in Nick’s direction. Nick ducked, making Kellogg stab his knife into the computer screens behind Nick The glass scraped Kellogg’s arm from his fingers to his elbow as his arm went right through the console.

He pulled his arm out, angrily and glared at Nick. Nick had tried running away but had ended up blindly getting himself cornered. He turned around and searched for somewhere, anywhere to go. There was nowhere. Kellogg approached Nick, shooting him a death stare.

“Nowhere to run now, synth.”

Kellogg brought the knife down but instead of stabbing Nick, he heard a loud gunshot before he stumbled to the ground. He looked back, seeing his leg pouring blood. And above him stood River, holding his gun.

River scowled at the man beneath her and watched as he tried to stand back up. River swiped her leg under Kellogg’s feet, causing him to fall once more. Kellogg turned around on his back and stared at River.

“Well. Guess I overestimated you.” Kellogg grinned. He liked a challenge.

“Shut up, asshole.” River kicked him.

“Nice try, sweetheart.” Kellogg taunted, amused.

River leaned down, shoving the gun in his face.

“So what now? You gonna kill me?” Kellogg spat. “Not really your thing is it? Killing? I can see it in your eyes. You don’t want to kill me.”

River scoffed. Bullshit. She wanted to put that murdering bastard six feet under. She wanted to… to... No. She wanted to put him on trial. The proper way to deal with a criminal...

_But that wasn't possible now._

_It was just like Nick said._

_She had to forget the rules of the past and embrace the lack of ones now._

_She had to kill._

"See you in hell." River growled, leaning even closer to Kellogg.

Kellogg chuckled. "I'll tell the husband you said hi."

River opened her mouth to retaliate but all that could escape was a pained gasp. Her eyes trailed down her body…

Where a knife was lodged in her side.

“River!” Nick yelled.

River grit her teeth in pain. With a shaking breath, she quickly pulled the trigger, shutting Kellogg up for good. Kellogg’s hand fell to his side, dragging the knife down a little as he did. River hissed, squeezing her eyes shut. She got to her feet, shaking. Nick quickly ran to River, cursing under his breath. River held up her hand.

“I’m…” River gasped as another jolt of pain ran through her entire body. “F...Fine…”

“No, you’re not.” Nick frowned. He dug in his pocket and pulled out the stimpaks he had found before. He gently held River’s arm. “This’ll help with the pain but we need to get you out of here asap.” He injected both of the stimpaks into River. She didn't even wince.

“I’ll have a quick look around. For now, apply pressure to that wound.” Nick told her. He quickly had a look around before spotting a terminal. He quickly ran over to it, not daring to waste any time. Needed a password. Damm... Well, it was nothing a little hacking couldn’t solve.

After a few seconds, the terminal was unlocked. Nick quickly scanned what was written inside and he unlocked the doors for a quick exit out of the building. "So Kellogg wasn't giving us any bull.” Nick said aloud, grabbing River’s attention. “Your son really is on the inside.” He let out a sigh. “I don't even know where the Institute is, and they built me."

Nick walked towards River. He stepped over Kellogg’s corpse before his foot nudged something metallic. Nick bent down and picked it up, examining it. It looked strange… Nick put it in his pocket before walking over to River.

"There has to be a way, Nick." River choked out, Leaning against the wall, a bloody hand covering her aching wound. The stimpaks hardly worked. "My baby is out there."

"We'll find him." Nick tried to reassure her.

"He is in the Institute!” River winced at her own outburst, out of pain more than shock though. “You know what happens to people that go there! We didn't find anything here, just a dead end." River turned to him slightly, not enough to show her face though.

Nick placed a hand on her shoulder and tilted his head. "Look at me."

River looked down.

"Please."

River sighed before she looked up, her eyes were red and tears ran down her face. She covered her face with the arm that wasn’t covering her wound. She didn't want Nick to see her like this. She wanted to be strong. She wanted to show she could handle this. Instead, she was crying like a child.

"We are going to find your boy, okay? Institute or not. Trust me." Nick looked into her eyes.

River sniffed before she buried her face into Nick's chest. Nick looked down at her, slightly shocked. He awkwardly stood there for a while before he gently gave her a singular pat on the back.

"Hey, chin up. I know the night just got darker, but it won't last forever."

River moved away quickly. "You're right. I can't give up on him. So what now?"

"Well before anything else, we need to get you to a doctor. Fast. After that, we’ll go see someone who can help us. Someone who knows a lot about the Institute and isn't afraid of uncovering its secrets... And I know just the reporter.”

River nodded before she began stumbling towards the exit, shaking. She couldn’t argue with that. River took one more step forward before her legs finally gave way and she fell forward. Nick reacted quickly though and he caught her. He looked at her for a moment before sighing. He looked her up and down before he picked her up.

River yelped in both pain and surprise. “What are you-?”

“Sorry, but you can’t walk on your own. You got your gun?” After receiving a nod, Nick began walking out of the room, towards the exit. It was no use fighting Nick over it. River wasn’t stupid. She knew when she had to stop struggling. After putting River down briefly to unlock a terminal, Nick watched the door to the outside swing open. He scooped River up in his arms again before walking onto the roof.

It was strange. It was still daytime -the two didn't take that long I'm the building- yet it seemed so dark. Like something was blocking the sun. And that sound. Nick turned his attention to the direction of then until he saw what caused them.

“Holy…”

Suddenly, Nick’s view was blocked by an enormous airship in the sky, flying proudly.

"People of the Commonwealth. Do not interfere. Our intentions are peaceful. We are the Brotherhood of Steel." A booming voice announced, aiming their voice for everyone all across the Commonwealth to hear.

River noticed some smaller aircrafts being deployed from the ship. The Brotherhood of Steel? Who were they?

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing." Nick muttered, looking up at the airship.

River looked at Nick. He was quoting something by… someone… She couldn’t think properly. Her mind was hazy. The blood loss was really getting to her.

They both stared at the ship until it was far past their view.

Nick shook his head before he began walking once more. "Flying that ship into the heart of the Commonwealth. Mark my words, the Brotherhood's here to start a war."

River turned to Nick. "Brotherhood of Steel?"

Nick sighed, explaining. "They're a group, evolved from the remains of the military back before the war. They are hellbent on preserving technology, keeping it away from everyone except themselves. You so much as even look at a suit of power armor and you'd probably be full of holes before you could register what was happening. They used to at least tolerate everyone, so I've heard, back in DC but ever since the new Elder's come to power, they've become even crankier than they usually are. Threatening to shoot synths and ghouls on sight."

"But... isn't that good? They kill people..." River stated, a little confused.

Nick let out a half-hearted chuckle. "By synths and ghouls, I don't just mean the bad ones. Sure, ferals are a pain in the ass but the Brotherhood gets awfully trigger happy once a normal ghoul strolls past them."

River croaked, annoyed. She opened her mouth but no words could escape. She thought. If her husband were still there with her he would be disgusted at what the military had become. Killing people for surviving something horrible then coming back to... this?

Nick looked at her, concern present in his facial expression before he spoke. "Hey... do you still want to keep going as soon as possible? After you recover? You may need a longer break from this whole situation."

River shook her head, tired. "I need to find my son."

Nick sighed. That dame was unstoppable.

Nick opened his mouth to say something before he noticed that River’s eyes were shut, peacefully. He shook her, nervous.

“River? River? River, wake up!” Nick yelled.

This wasn’t good.


	4. Pain

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit._  
  
Those were the main words that were flying around in Nick's mind as he ran, a whining Dogmeat by his side, worried about the woman also.  
  
River had not long lost consciousness. This wasn't good. Nick didn't know what condition she was in now. It was near impossible to tell, being unable to communicate with the woman that he held in his arms.  
  
He had to act fast. River wasn't able to apply pressure to her wound now which meant that she would eventually bleed out in no time at all.  
  
Nick looked around, hastily scouting for any sort of danger. When finding none, Nick got down onto his knees on the old, cracked road decayed with age and and put River down. He sat her up for a moment to take her rucksack off before he lay her down on her back. Dogmeat sniffed her hand, licking it, hoping it would wake her up. Nick was sure that if he had a heart, the old ticker would be beating as fast as a mole rat on jet. Nick gently took her hand, careful not to scratch her with the metal of his own and put two of his covered fingers on her wrist. He could feel a pulse. Barely. Nick had to find a way to help River’s wound before it got any worse.  
  
He looked at her -or rather his- old dirty shirt. He unbuttoned the first four buttons from the bottom and lifted the piece of fabric up a bit, giving him full access to River’s wound.  
  
He didn't know exactly how this worked as Nick never had these fleshy problems himself but in the back of his mind somewhere… there was a small voice that was sure of how to do this and it guided Nick. He needed to clean the wound.  
  
Nick grabbed River’s bag and opened it, searching for anything he could use. He quickly found a bottle and examined it. The liquid inside of the bottle was clear and the bottle itself was fairly clean. Good; that meant it was purified.  
  
Nick unscrewed the cap and moved the bottle over River’s wound. The lack of nerves helped keep his hand steady as he poured a little bit of the slightly warm water into the open wound and the small area around it.  
  
After repeating this process for a while, he put the bottle down and looked through River’s bag again for any sort of clean cloth. After finding nothing, Nick took an unnecessary deep ‘breath’ and thought. He eventually had an idea and ripped off a piece of fabric from his own shirt. After drowning his hands and the ripped fabric in water, Nick carefully began to wrap it around River’s body. He tied a knot, careful not to make the handmade bandage itself tight enough to the point of being painful.  
  
After he wrapped the bandage around River’s wound, Nick put the now empty bottle in River’s rucksack before he decided to put it on his own back. He buttoned River’s shirt up before picking her up in his arms once again. He saw River stir and wince in her sleep. Nick only looked down at her apologetically. Dogmeat perked up.

“Don’t worry, boy. She’s going to be okay.”  
  
He continued to run.  
  
  
If Nick was a human then he was sure his legs would be dead by now, unable to move due to the immense amount of running he had just done. But as he saw the large, green walls of Diamond City, those thoughts escaped his mind as he stopped at the intercom outside the walls. He adjusted River in his grip to free one of his hands a little to be able to press the button on the small, metal box.  
  
“Hello?” A familiar voice called out.  
  
“It’s Nick Valentine. I need to get in now. I have someone with me who needs immediate medical attention.”  
  
The voice barked orders to someone before Nick stepped back, seeing the oversized gate open painfully slowly. As soon as it was big enough to duck under, Nick did just that, running straight past the guards and into Diamond City. He quickly set his destination for Doctor Crocker’s surgery.  
  
Upon entering the surgery, Doctor Crocker looked up from a table with a variety of chems on it. He saw Nick and immediately noticed the blood on his clothes and the even bloodier woman In his arms. He quickly took the chems off the table and gestured for Nick to put River on the table. After Nick did so, he took a step back to let the doctor have some space.  
  
“What type of wound is it?” Crocker asked, pulling on some gloves.  
  
“Stab wound.”  
  
Crocker nodded. He unbuttoned River's shirt and used a pair of scissors to cut off the handmade bandage wrapped around her.  
  
“Were you the one who bandaged her up?” He asked Nick, not looking back at the synth.  
  
“Yeah.” Nick answered him, a little nervous.  
  
Crocker sighed. At least that would've helped her on the way here. There may have been a way to save this woman.  
  
Nick could only watch and pass the occasional tool Crocker asked for as River was operated on.  
  
  
River’s eyes slowly opened as she woke up. She sat up and looked around, noticing where she was. She stretched and let out a small yawn before she moved to get out of bed. That's she felt arms hold her.  
  
“Lay back down. You need to rest.”  
  
River sighed. “I've slept for too long… I need to get up.”  
  
“Come on… I'm not getting up and it would be lonely here without you.” River could practically hear the pout in his voice.  
  
River couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle, hearing him fake his sadness. “Jack, come on. I need to check on Shaun.” She had so much work to do today and she’d rather get it done as soon as possible. The sooner she got all the paperwork she had stacked up filled in, the sooner she could just sit back and relax in Jack’s arms.  
  
Suddenly, the skin holding her became cold. River shivered under Jack’s touch. She needed to turn up the thermostat. She tried to move but Jack’s icy grip held her in place. Now annoyed at her husband’s ridiculous antics preventing her from doing her work, River groaned before turning to Jack.  
  
Her eyes widened once she saw him.  
  
His whole body was an unhealthy colour of blue. Frost latched onto every inch of Jack’s body. And from his chest lay a dried up, bloody bullet wound.  
  
River screamed loudly, trying her best to get away from the figure who held a vice grip on her. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring her body to move. She was frozen. And the creeping ice on her skin only proved it as it enveloped her entire body including her face. She began to suffocate, her nostrils and mouth blocked and covered in ice. She was suffocating and she couldn't do anything about it.  
  
She was going to die.  
  
As her vision began to fade, one single thought came into her dying mind.  
  
_Wake up._ _  
_  
  
River coughed and sputtered as she woke up from her crippling nightmare, taking in deep breaths. Her side hurt with each inhale and exhale.  
  
After a short moment of coughing and hurting, River found someone by her side. She wiped her eyes of tears she wasn't even aware were there before and saw who it was.  
  
Nick.  
  
Nick gently held River’s shoulders. “Calm down. You're going to rip your stitches.”  
  
“My… stitches?” River asked weakly before she looked down at her side, seeing her shirt had been lifted up in her struggle, revealing a clean bandage neatly wrapped around her waist. When did that get there?  
  
“Yeah. I tried to patch it up after you fell unconscious. It helped a little until I reached Dr Crocker’s. He took over then. Cost quite a few caps.” Nick muttered the last part.  
  
River’s eyes widened. “I'm so sorry… I'll pay you back, I promise!”  
  
Nick let out a small chuckle. “Don't worry about it. I was glad to help.” He gave her a warm smile. “Now get some rest. You need time to heal.”  
  
“But-” River let out a hiss as she sat up too quickly. “What about Piper?”  
  
Nick frowned, seeing her in discomfort. “I'll talk to her later. For now, I have to look after you until Ellie comes back. She's grabbing’ us dinner.”  
  
“I'm not a child.” River narrowed her eyes.  
  
Nick held up his hands in defense. “I'm not saying you are. But you are recovering from a three-inch deep stab wound that nearly killed you on the way here.” He stated.  
  
River opened her mouth to retaliate but she couldn't find the correct words. Instead, she just scowled in defeat and crossed her arms. Nick laughed loudly before he made he turned to head back into the other room.  
  
“I’ll just be doing some paperwork in the next room. Shout me if you need anything and don't move from this spot. Okay?”  
  
River sighed. “Fine. But as soon as my side stops hurting, I'm out of here.”  
  
Nick rolled his eyes. River was a stubborn dame alright. He walked back into his office and sat down at his desk. He waited for a couple of minutes, looking out for any possible escape attempts made by the woman laying in his bed. After a while, Nick leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on the table and thought.  
  
What was it about River that confused him? He just couldn't place a metallic finger on it. He had never seen her before in his life…

He had better things to do than ponder about this. He had a case to solve and paperwork to do. He turned to the draws in his desk, opening one up for his notepad and pen. He carefully picked them up, realising he had left something underneath them.

A young couple held each other. The female showed her hand to the camera, showing off a diamond ring. Nick chuckled to himself. The picture was great but nothing could’ve compared to the real face.  
  
Nick’s thoughts began to blur. Static pierced his ears. His head began to spin.  
  
“No, no, no!” Nick hissed quietly to himself, clutching his head in pain. “Not now! Sto-”

* * *

 _-ose that's true.” Suddenly, the whole lounge erupted into cheers as a different song began to play. “Hey, what's getting everyone so riled up?” he asked, looking around at all the other men in the place, a hungry, expecting look on all of their faces._  
  
_Nick didn't answer but instead followed everyone's gaze to the red-curtained stage. The curtains then slowly began to open, exposing-_

* * *

Nick managed to break out of his episode, panting heavily. Thank God that was over. He realised that he was panting and immediately stopped. He knew that he didn't need to it just felt… natural to him.  
  
He must not have realised how loud he was because River’s confused voice quickly called out to him.  
  
“Valentine? Is everything okay?”  
  
It took Nick a moment to find his voice. “Umm yeah!” He called out, quickly slamming the drawer shut. “Everything's… Fine…”  
  
He had seen that memory so many times and it hurt every second as it played in his mind. This was just one of the rare moments when he was able to stop it from continuing any further. It still hurt though.  
  
But before he could even ponder getting his thoughts onto paper, Ellie came through the front door to the agency, holding two bowls of noodles.  
  
“I'm back!” Ellie chirped. But upon seeing Nick’s distraught expression, Ellie frowned. “Nick, what's wrong?”  
  
Nick looked up at her and smiled. “Nothing to worry about, El.”  
  
Ellie sighed. She knew it wasn't best to press into Nick’s personal matters. She had a good feeling she knew what was eating at Nick anyway. Nick stood up from his desk and pulled on his trench coat, a large maroon stain now prominent in the fabric. Nick hoped that would leave in time. Ellie raised her eyebrow at him.  
  
“Where are you going?” She asked.  
  
“I’m going to see Piper. She might be able to help with the case.” Nick stated, patting his pockets to make sure he had at least one packet of cigarettes on hand.  
  
“Make sure not to leak too much of the case.” Ellie warned.  
  
“I’ll be careful.” Nick knew more than anyone how reliable Piper was with keeping completely confidential information… well… confidential.  
  
As she watched Nick leave, Ellie let out a sigh before grabbing the bowls of noodles she had bought. She made her way into the next room where River sat down, wincing in pain as she moved her upper body. Ellie smiled and handed River the bowl.  
  
“Hey. Eat up. You’ll need your strength.” She told the older woman in front of her.  
  
“Thank you.” River smiled. She began to eat the noodles, quickly devouring the contents of the bowl, not leaving anything behind.  
  
“Wow. You were hungry.” Ellie remarked, still in the middle of eating her own bowl as she leaned against the wall.  
  
River sheepishly shrugged with a nervous chuckle. “I haven’t exactly eaten good food in a while…” A voice in her head added onto her sentence.

 _Two hundred years to be exact._  
  
After Ellie had finished her own bowl, she took River’s and walked back into the main office. After she didn’t come back into the room, River decided to try and relax. She lay down, easing herself under the covers, and rested her weary head against the scratchy pillow of Nick’s warm bed.  
  
  
As Nick walked through the familiar streets of Diamond City, he listened closely to the sounds of children running, playing, laughing. He heard a guard near him shoot a warning, telling Nick ‘not try anything’. Despite all he had done, he was still a synth. And that couldn’t be changed no matter who he saved from what. It didn’t bother him all too much though. He was just glad to live an at least relatively normal life, safely guarded by a sturdy wall.  
  
He said a quick hello to Nat before he was directed to Piper’s location inside the building. Once he walked inside, he was met with the sight of the reporter sat at her table, a large pile of caps on it next to a piece of paper she was writing on. Once she had caught sight of Nick, she smiled.  
  
"Well, well, Nicky Valentine walks into my office for a change.”  
  
Nick chuckled. "What can I say, Piper? You, me and hard luck all seem to run together like acid rain down an old sewer."  
  
“I heard about Blue. She okay?” Piper asked.  
  
Nick thought for a moment. He then realised what Piper meant by ‘Blue’. “She’s a fighter, that’s for sure.” He smiled. “It’s going to take more than a stab wound to stop that woman.” He took a glance at the table and it’s contents. “What are you doing?” Nick sighed. “Who’d you steal the caps off?”  
  
Piper looked offended. “Nick! How could you even think I would commit such a crime!” She couldn’t stay in character though as she bursted into a fit of giggles. “Okay a couple of them are Solomon’s.” After seeing Nick’s unamused expression, she sheepishly smiled. “He lost them in a bet! I’m fair game for them!” She picked up the paper closest to her and waved it. “The interview I did with Blue is really popular with everyone. I’m just doing a little management with the caps I got. Now I can fix the damn leaky roof and get Nat some boots. You can not believe how many holes she has in the shoes she has now… And of course, if I have any money left over, I’ll give it to River.”  
  
She took a deep breath. “Anyway! What brings the great Nick Valentine to my humble abode?” Piper flashed a cunning smirk. “You finally letting me in on this little case of yours? What's the story?"  
  
Nick chuckled. “Well, we found the psychopath who took River’s son. Turns out, he’s working for the Institute.” This information definitely piqued Piper’s interest. “I need everything you’ve got on them.”  
  
"The Institute? Hoo boy..." Piper let out a sigh. She stood up and walked over to her private desk. She sifted through countless amounts of paper. She picked out a few and gave them to Nick.  
  
Nick quickly read over them. There was hardly any information there.  
  
Piper let out a sigh and pointed to the papers Nick held before she folded her arms. "I haven’t covered anything you don’t know. I’ve dug up a lot but to this day, there's one thing nobody really knows..."  
  
"Where the institute actually is. Or how to get in there." Nick spoke up, finishing Piper’s thoughts as he put the papers down.  
  
"But there's one person who must know, right?" Piper thought of a suggestion. "The guy who handed them the kid, Shaun."  
  
"Kellogg. Huh..." Nick sighed. "Well, that angle isn't going to work." He put his hands in his pockets. "The bastard’s dead."  
  
Piper sat back down in her chair with a huff. "So a murderer and a kidnapper gets his brains blown out by an avenging parent." She sighed, rubbing her temples and spoke in an annoyed tone. "It would be a great ending if we didn't still have the biggest mystery in the Commonwealth to solve."  
  
"'Gets his brains blown out’... Huh." Nick wondered allowed, getting Piper's attention. "His brains… You know, we may not need the man at all."  
  
Piper raised an eyebrow. "You're talking crazy here Nick. Got a fault in the ol' subroutines?" She tapped her own head.  
  
Nick rolled his eyes in response. "Look, there's a place in Goodneighbor called the Memory Den.”  
  
Piper knew Goodneighbor. Hell, she had the scars and broken ribs to prove it. “Relive the past moments in your mind as clear as the day it happened."  
  
"If anyone could get a dead brain to sing, it'll be Doctor Amari, the mind behind the memories." Nick continued, speaking his thoughts out loud. "Let's see... I guess we're going to need a piece of Kellogg's brain. Enough gray matter to bring to Amari and find out if this is going to work."  
  
Piper glanced at Nick, feeling a little queasy at the thought of someone’s brains splattered all over the floor. "Jesus Nick, gross! Seriously?"  
  
Nick growled. "I know it's grisly, but what choice do we have? We got no leads, nothing. That old merc's brain might just have all the secrets we need to know." He put his hands in his pockets. That’s when he felt a weird shape. He pulled whatever it was out of his pocket and examined it. It was the piece of metal Nick had found when River killed Kellogg. He also noticed the piece of pink flesh stuck to it.  
  
Piper’s face retorted in pure disgust once she saw it. “What the hell is that thing!? It looks like a brain!”  
  
"Cybernetics, huh?" Nick thought for a moment. "This… This could work… Well, I better get going, Ellie would have my head if I went missing again."  
  
"I'm gonna do more research. I'll be here if you need me." Piper stated with a smile. She really wanted in on this but she had Nat to look after. Oh well... she'd get all the juicy details later. “Oh and read my paper if you haven’t already!” She reminded Nick. “And get rid of that gross brain!”  
  
Nick chuckled, putting the cybernetics in his pocket and making his way outside. “I’ll read it as soon as I get back to the agency.”  
  
  
Once he got back to his office, Nick took off his hat and coat, hanging them up on the coat hanger. He looked around before seeing a paper on his desk. Ellie must’ve got it for him. Nick smiled and sat down at his desk. He grabbed the paper and unfolded it. He cleared his throat (or lack thereof) and read the title out loud.  
  
"View From The Vault by Piper Wright."  
  
Intrigued, Nick continued to read, this time in his head, and he turned the page. He read up until a certain name caught a certain name.  
  
"... So as fortune often has it, I crossed paths with River McConnell. A Vault Dweller. A person who is experiencing the Commonwealth for the first time. What would her fresh set of eyes say about how far we've come? Is Diamond City the 'Great, Green Jewel' we have always claimed it to be?"  
  
This was interesting. Maybe Nick could know a little more about River without invading her privacy. Maybe there was somehow a clue here to the mystery surrounding the woman in the next room.  
  
"Before we begin to answer that question, we need to know who River is. To my surprise, she did not have much to say about her life in her vault at all. Because she spent all that time staring at a piece of frozen glass for over two centuries. That's right, River isn't just a Vault Dweller, she's an original Vault Dweller. She spent her entire time on the inside cryogenically suspended."  
  
Nick turned the page. He already knew that.  
  
"So what does River say about seeing Diamond City for the first time?"  
  
"'Honestly, seeing everyone surviving out here? Rebuilding the world? It gives me hope.'"  
  
Nick smiled as he read the quote out loud. Hope. Hope was what this world needed. It was what River needed. It was good to know that this god awful world made her feel even a fraction of a little bit positive. This was even better coming from River because she knew what the world was like before it was transformed into the harsh wasteland she found herself in now. She could actually give a solid comparison.  
  
"This is all the more remarkable because you see, River has a son. Shaun. And even though they were in the relative safety of a Vault, someone broke in and took Shaun from her, and River is now risking everything in order to save Shaun."  
  
Not many people were willing to do that these days… They relied on other people like Nick because they couldn’t be bothered wasting the caps or their lives on doing it themselves. In most cases, Nick found out that the missing person was a slave to the rest of the family, only used for manual labour. The families only wanted them back because that would mean that at least one of them would finally have to get off their backsides and do the work themselves. The world was messed up.  
  
"We all know the rumors and whispers that surround every missing person in Diamond City. The guilty looks we pass to mourning family members as we 'thank the Wall that, this time, it wasn't us.'"  
  
Nick sighed. It was all true. He remembered all those missing person cases that all came to the same conclusion. The Institute.  
  
"Why spend our time worrying about kidnappings? Why, indeed."  
  
Nick turned the page once more. He had to admit, Piper's papers were getting better. They spoke the truth. Even with Mayor McDonough threatening her, Piper still kept going. That persistence and hunger for the truth is what everyone needed.  
  
"I asked River to give us an outsider's perspective on what it means to lose a loved one and how she feels. Maybe, in some way, it's how we all should feel."  
  
"'No matter how much you want to give up, don't.' She said. 'You have to have hope. That you'll see them again. Or at least, that you'll know the truth.'"  
  
Wise words.  
  
Nick put the paper on his desk with a smile. River always seemed so down, and of course, Nick didn't blame her. But he could tell that inside, there was something there that was aching to escape.  
  
Nick sighed. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. This case was proving to be a little stressful.  
  
Suddenly his head began to spin again. Nick growled. He grabbed his head in pain. It was happening again! He tried to block out the pain but it wouldn’t work.  
  
“Shit, NO-!”

* * *

 _The air was filled with music. Bright, multicolored lights blared in every direction. Nick looked over at his partner, hopelessly trying to flirt with the young, attractive woman handing the men their drinks. Nick sighed and dug into his pocket, fishing out some cash. He paid the woman for both of their drinks because his partner sure as hell wasn't going to. He gave her a tip and along with it, her cue to leave. Nick’s partner turned to him with a clearly displeased and defeated look on his face._  
  
_“Come on, Nicky! I was this close to getting her number!”_  
  
_Nick grabbed his shot of whiskey, quickly downing it in one gulp. “Lennie, the only thing you'll be getting off here is a restraining order.”_  
  
_Lennie rolled his eyes, using his hand to mimic Nick. He soon leaned back in his chair and loosened his tie. Women liked it that way… or so had read in all those magazines. “Why doncha relax for once?”_  
  
_“As much as I wanna get drunk off my ass, I don't wanna be thrown on it if the boss catches us slackin’ off.” Nick pointed out, watching Lennie drink his own alcoholic liquid._  
  
_Lennie shrugged. “S'pose that's true.” Suddenly, the whole lounge erupted into cheers as a different song began to play. “Hey, what's getting everyone so riled up?” he asked, looking around at all the other men in the place, a hungry, expecting look on all of their faces._  
  
_Nick didn't answer but instead followed everyone's gaze to the red-curtained stage. The curtains then slowly began to open, exposing a young woman. Her skin was a light tan that glimmered in the lights. Her chestnut hair fell in long, elegant curls over her shoulders. Her makeup had a theme of blue: blue eyeshadow, blue lipstick, blue sparkles dancing across her cheeks. It complimented the woman's turquoise gown, reaching down to the ground. A slit in the side of it allowed a long, strutting leg to escape from the confines of the dress as it fit nicely and tightly against the mysterious woman's curvaceous and irresistible body._  
  
_Lennie eyes practically bulged out of their sockets as he let out a loud wolf whistle, earning a few looks from the variety of girls whom he had been flirting with all night. Nick tilted his fedora in embarrassment. Lennie always had to get distracted with women. It was always women._  
  
_Nick peeked at the woman after a gentle lift of the fedora. Once he examined her face clearly, he leaned over to his partner and whispered in his ear._  
  
_"That's the girl."_  
  
_It took Nick practically screaming down Lennie's ear for the seventh time for Lennie to actually hear him._  
  
_"The one the boss wants us to talk to? I call dibs." Lennie smirked, aiming his smug look over in Nick's direction._  
  
_Nick rolled his eyes before he grabbed Lennie's chin, forcing him to look back after the stage. He then sat back and crossed his arms. They would have to wait until she had a break to talk to her._  
  
_Lennie continued to speak anyway, but not about the case they were supposed to be working on. "Holy moly! She's legs all the way up, ain't she?"_  
  
_Nick paid no attention to his partner. He instead focused intently on the woman as she approached the microphone stand. The room suddenly went quiet. She smiled, showing her dazzling, white pearls and gently grabbed the microphone. The lights dimmed._  
  
_"I don't want to set the world on fire~"_  
  
_This immediately caught the attention of everyone in the room. Her voice was smooth silk, calming those who listened._  
  
_Nick looked over at Lennie and groaned seeing his partner's jaw on the floor and he was drooling. Nick used his whole hand to harshly force Lennie's jaw back up to his mouth, causing him to bite his tongue. Lennie yelped in pain and glared at Nick who was wiping his hand on his shirt. Nick got out a pack of cigarettes and put one in between his lips, using the candle on the table to light it._  
  
_"And that one is you, no other will do~"_  
  
_The woman shot a wink at a random member of the audience who replied with a laugh, taunting his friends that he had caught the attention of this beautiful young woman._  
  
_Nick continued to listen to the woman's singing as he began to blow smoke out of his mouth. He couldn't help but admit, her voice definitely was... alluring._  
  
_The woman eventually noticed Nick and realised he was the only man in this room not head-over-heels for her. She subtly raised an eyebrow and made her way across the stage while still singing. She walked over to the small table Nick and Lennie were sat at. Lennie chuckled to himself and leaned closer to the gorgeous lady. His excitement was quickly extinguished though when she instead gestured for Nick to move closer to her as she put her microphone down._  
  
_Nick decided to humour her. He stood and walked over to the stage, crossing his arms, wondering what trick she would try to pull. The singer quickly whispered something to Nick and she stepped off of the stage, smirking when Nick rushed to catch her. Nick put her down and turned to get back to his seat when the singer pulled Nick's shoulder back, causing him to face her. She then plucked Nick's cigarette out of his mouth and his fedora. She put the cigarette in her own mouth and placed the fedora on her head, tilting it slightly to the side. She chuckled, pushing Nick back to his seat gently. She took a long drag before she removed the cigarette from her mouth and let the warm smoke fill the air around the table she was at. Lennie let out a small cough, still not used to his partner’s horrible smoking habit. But that sure as hell didn’t prevent him from being the heaviest drinker Nick knew._  
  
_Seeing that Nick was unfazed by her actions that other men would love, the woman leaned towards Nick (much to the amusement and pleasure of all of the males in the room who had a good view) and she whispered in his ear._  
  
_"You're good."_  
  
_She then tilted the hat as a way of saying goodbye until she threw it back at Nick, it landing directly on his face, blocking Nick’s view. She used the built-in steps to walk back onto the stage as she began to sing once again, cigarette still smoking in her hand._  
  
_Lennie leaned over to Nick, his face showing nothing but bewilderment. “Why the hell did she go to you?”_  
  
_Nick tilted his fedora back, letting it rest back on top of his head once again. “Maybe because I wasn’t getting my drool all over her.”_  
  
_Nick didn’t bother hearing or seeing Lennie’s response as he instead looked back at the stage and waiting for the woman to finish. He took out another cigarette from his packet, a little annoyed that the suspect had taken his previous one. He lit it, placing it in between his lips as he waited for the show to end._  
  
  
_After her performance, Nick and Lennie got up from their seats and made their way over to the dressing rooms. After flashing their badges to security, they were finally allowed to enter a long hallway full of doors. The pair walked down the hallway, looking at the names written on the fading golden stars in search of a particular name. Eventually, Lennie tapped Nick, stopping him. He pointed to a door next to them._  
  
_“That’s her.” Lennie said, gesturing to the door. Nick nodded and sighed._  
  
_“Jennifer Lands.”_

* * *

 


End file.
